Christmas Lights.
Outdoor and Indoor Christmas Lights.

Useful and invaluable Christmas lights advice.

It is traditional to decorate the inside and outside of house with large numbers of Christmas lights, sometimes including illuminated sleigh-bells. Usually indoor and outdoor Christmas lights have some differences. One of the best sets for Christmas light outdoor is full size C-7 or C-9. These sets are specifically made with outdoor decorators in mind. At 125 and 175 watts per string, they produce the largest illumination and the longest life. Nevertheless, it's up to you to decide what Christmas lights will be outdoor Christmas lights and what Christmas lights will be used for indoor decoration. When buying small Christmas lights remember that the rain may cause a bit of a problem with mini lights. Try to use mini Christmas lights inside. The manufacturers take care in weather-proofing the outdoor Christmas lights to prevent shorts. With outdoor extension chords don't wrap the connections with anything (wrapping the connection can trap moisture, causing unexpected and unwanted electrical show.

If you don't have an outlet for Christmas lights outdoor it would be a good idea to hire an electrician. The electrician will install separate circuits specifically for Christmas lights outdoor. And then if you overload the outdoor circuit you will still have power to the indoor Christmas lights.

The lighted Christmas tree is the best sight of Christmas. Some artificial Christmas trees come complete with provisional wirings and sockets. If you prefer a real Christmas tree, the wiring needs to be done. Place a socket plug in with an extension wire and many sockets below the tree. The amount of  Christmas lights (both Christmas lights outdoor and Christmas lights indoor) depends on the size of the tree. The happy medium is 1 string of 100 Christmas lights per foot of the Christmas tree. So if you have a 5 feet tree, you would need 5 strings = 500 Christmas lights. For the best illumination of deciduous trees, use mini Christmas lights. Start your lighting from the top of the tree and move downwards. Light every alternate branch from inside the Christmas tree. You can also place Christmas lights along the perimeter of the Christmas tree. Inside and outside Christmas lights will add depth and interest. Don't attach more than 3 strings of light in one socket, as this leads to more frequent bulb fuses. When decorating coniferous trees, begin at the top and work down in a zig-zag way, or start at the bottom and work your way up in circles around the Christmas tree. Use green wires to make the strings less visible.

Approximate number of Christmas lights you will need:
3' Christmas Tree: 50-100 Christmas lights
4' Christmas Tree: 100-150 Christmas lights
5' Christmas Tree: 150-250 Christmas lights
6' Christmas Tree: 200-300 Christmas lights
7' Christmas Tree: 300-350 Christmas lights

When buying Christmas lights remember that it's better to have more Christmas lights than not enough.

If half of your Christmas lights is on and the other half is off, your light string is wired 1/2 and 1/2 in series. That means that if you have a break in the circuit, the half of the string in which the break occurs will appear burnout. Replace burned out bulbs ASAP, as they will cause other bulbs to overheat and will reduce the life of light.

Wish you good luck in your Christmas lights shopping. It only takes a few strings to start a long time tradition!

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A few words about origin of the Christmas lights tradition.
There are different theories regarding the origin of the Christmas lights tradition. Some theories consider that Christmas lights tradition derives from the tradition that Jesus was born during the Jewish Festival of Lights.